Application Interface to a Media Server and a Method of Implementing the Same

1. A media manager which incorporates an application program interface (API) for converting high-level generic commands into device level commands for output to a plurality of media devices, said media manager comprising: a high-level command processor which decodes the high-level generic commands; and a plurality of device specific code mapping modules which convert the high-level generic commands by said high-level command processor into device level commands, each of the device-level commands being output from one of the plurality of device specific code mapping modules to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices.

2. The media manager defined by claim 1 , wherein said high-level command processor includes a plurality of individual APIs which correspond to the common API, the individual APIs each handling a specific function.

3. The media manager defined by claim 1 , further comprising a device interface which receives each of the device level commands output from the plurality of device specific code mapping modules and outputs each of the device-level commands to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices.

4. The media manager defined by claim 2 , wherein said each of said media devices comprises a media archive and at least one media server, each of said media devices storing media objects.

5. The media manager defined by claim 4 , wherein said media archive and media server are included in a multimedia data storage system including a digital library.

6. The media manager defined by claim 4 , wherein said individual application program interfaces represent member functions associated with classes which define objects representing media servers and objects representing a logical description of a physical format of a media object.

7. The media manager defined by claim 1 , wherein said plurality of device-specific code-mapping modules convert high-level generic commands into specific actions and convert the specific actions into device level commands.

8. A method of implementing an application program interface (API) for a plurality of media devices comprising: receiving a plurality of high-level generic commands from a computer application; converting the plurality of high-level generic commands into device-level commands; and outputting each of the device level commands to one of the media devices; wherein said converting comprises converting the plurality of high-level generic commands into specific actions, at least one of the plurality of high level commands being converted into a plurality of the specific actions; and converting the specific actions into device-level commands.

9. The method defined by claim 8 , wherein said converting comprises converting the plurality of high-level generic commands using a plurality of individual APIs which each perform a specific function.

10. The method defined by claim 8 , wherein each one of the high-level generic commands is received along with a media device type identifier; wherein prior to said converting, it is determined whether the media device type corresponds to one of the media devices; and wherein each of the device level commands is output to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices which is of the media device type.

11. A computer program product including a computer-readable medium, comprising: means for decoding high-level generic commands; means for converting the high-level generic commands into device-level commands; and means for outputting each of the device-level commands to a corresponding media devices, wherein said means for converting converts high-level generic commands into specific actions and converts said specific actions into the device-level commands, and at least one of said high level commands is converted into a plurality of the specific actions.

12. A method of implementing an application program interface (API) for a plurality of media devices comprising: receiving a plurality of high-level generic commands from a computer application; converting the plurality of high-level generic commands into device-level commands; and outputting each of the device level commands to one of the media devices; wherein each one of the high-level generic commands is received along with a media device type identifier; wherein prior to said converting, it is determined whether the media device type corresponds to one of the media devices; and wherein each of the device level commands is output to a corresponding one of the plurality of media devices which is of the media device type.

13. The method defined by claim 12 , wherein said converting comprises converting the plurality of high-level generic commands using a plurality of individual APIs which each perform a specific function.

14. The method defined by claim 12 , wherein said converting comprises converting the plurality of high-level generic commands into specific actions; and converting the specific actions into device-level commands.